Tank testing experiment of the Mocean M100 wave energy converter: linear non-causal optimal control and wave prediction

This paper presents tank testing experimental results of applying a non-causal optimal control strategy to a hinged-raft wave energy converter (WEC). The linear non-causal optimal control (LNOC) algorithm is designed and implemented in real-time to calculate the PTO torque signal based on the WEC response feedback information and the incoming wave feed-forward information. A controllable DC motor is used to provide the required torque to the WEC hinge. Tank testing results show that, compared with a well-tuned passive damper, the LNOC can improve the absorbed mechanical power in most of the tested sea conditions by up to 126%.